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i MUD STATIN OK AMERICA. 



HINTS 



TO OUR BOYS. 



BY 

ANDKEW JAMES SYMINGTON. 

II 

OTttfj an Introduction 
By LYMAN ABBOTT, D.D. 




NEW YORK; 

THOMAS Y. CROWELL 
No. 13 Astor Place. 



\* 



Br** 
•57 



COFTBIOHT, 1884, 

By T. Y. CROWKLL ft CO. 



JFrrinklin IDrrss : 

RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY, 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction by Lyman Abbott, DJD. 1 

CHAPTER I. 
Introductory .... 

CHAPTER II. 
On the Formation of Character 13 

CHAPTER III. 
On Leaving School for a Profession or 

Business 35 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Value of Time 63 

CHAPTER V. 
Economical Habits 97 

CHAPTER VI. 
Manners . 129 

CHAPTER VII. 
Conclusion . 149 



INTRODUCTION. 

BY LYMAN ABBOTT. 

HHHE father is the boy's counsellor. No 
one can take his place. If he ab- 
dicates, the council chamber is empty. 
The best inheritance a father can be- 
queath to his son is an inheritance of 
experience. It is true that fathers can- 
not give every thing. They cannot con- 
fer character. Not the poet only, but 
every one, is born, not made. Advice 
can neither give powers which nature 
has denied, nor take away powers which 
nature has conferred. The hen, with all 

her clucking, cannot keep the duckling 

i 



2 IM'KODK HON. 

from the water. nor the eaglet from the 
air. All that counsel can do is to teach 
the boy how to use the powers which he 
possesses, and how to develop and direct 

them. Every man must make his own 
path through the forest: the father can- 
not Maze a way for his son; but he can 
teach him where the bog is where he 
himself was mired, and where the scrub 
oaks are in which he lost much valuable 
time. He cannot furnish rules for every 
emergency, but he can inculcate princi- 
ples to be applied when the emergency 
arises. As no two voyages across the 
North Atlantic are the same, so no two 
lives : but, though a ship's log cannot be 
furnished in advance, the mariner can 
learn general principles from others* ex- 
perience. This leaves him to learn only 



INTRODUCTION. 6 

their application for his own. Such coun- 
sels are not idle, even when they seem to 
be disregarded. They will interpret the 
experience which emphasizes them ; and 
the young man will get out of the bog 
the easier for recollecting that his father 
advised him not to get into it. Life is 
written in hieroglyphics : those who have 
learned the alphabet at home, read the 
page more easily when they get to it. 

Such a book as this cannot take the 
place of a father's counsel. No printed 
page can do this. Love has no proxies. 
The boys that most need this book will 
be the least likely to read it. Our chil- 
dren gorge themselves on the cakes and 
candies of literature until they have no 
appetite for its plain bread. But such a 
book as this may be an invaluable aid 



4 INTRODUCTION, 

to the father. He cannot give his boy 
a bool^ and toss off the responsibility of 
his fatherhood on an unknown author ; but 

he can make the unknown author his own 

and his boys' friend, and so both widen 
and strengthen his counsel. He can read 
such a book as this aloud to his boys, 
and by his voice give to the page the 
life which personal sympathy imparts. 
lie can gather counsel from it, and so 
be a wise counsellor himself. No one life 
teaches every thing. No one pupil in 
life's school learns every thing. If a 
father could teach his son every thing 
which he himself had learned, there would 
still be a great deal left untaught. Such 
a book as this, which gathers into small 
compass the apothegms which the expe- 
rience of many lives has taught, widens 



INTRODUCTION. D 

the father's horizon, and so teaches the 
teacher. The principles which this book 
inculcates are the simple indisputable 
principles of life. But it is by a disre- 
gard of the simple and indisputable prin- 
ciples of life that lives are generally 
shipwrecked. They go on the rocks in 
sight of land and in sight of lighthouse 
and buoy. The father who should suc- 
ceed in thoroughly instilling the princi- 
ples of this unpretending little volume 
into the mind and heart of his son would 
insure him against those perils which most 
frequently make wreck of men. 
New York, February, 1884. 



HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 



I. 

Intwfouctotg. 



INTKODUCTORY, 



" JOHN," said an old gentleman to 
his son, who was also a father, 
" have you got any boys who are in 
their teens ? for, if you have, you will 
find that they think they know every 
thing far better than you do, and, in 
short, that the world is so much 
changed since your day, that your old 
tLotions about things in general have 
become quite antiquated and effete, 
and are now no longer applicable to 
them ; while any particular bit of ad- 



10 hints to OUR DOTS. 

vice you may tender only confirms 
their private opinion that you know 
absolutely nothing at all. either about 
them or about the matter in hand." 

John. who. as their shrewd grand- 
father very well knew, happened to 

have three bovs between the ac:es of 
fourteen and eighteen, listened with 
much interest as his father went on to 
say, " By the time your lads have 
reached the twenties, it will probably 
then begin to dawn upon them, that 
perhaps, after all, you may chance to 
know a little about some few things, 
and that it may be worth their while, 
at least to hear what you have got 
to say, subject to the after-consid- 



INTRODUCTORY. 11 

eration of their own superior judg- 
ment. 

" But depend upon it, John, some 
time, sooner or later, before the thir- 
ties are reached, experience will have 
taught them the value of your advice : 
your counsel in every important move 
will then be eagerly sought after, and 
be confidently and gladly followed." 

Now, although you, our boy-readers, 
may smile and protest, there was no 
little truth in this old gentleman's way 
of putting the matter. We wish, 
therefore, here to say a few friendly 
words on habits and manners, with a 
view to aid you in the formation of 
character, — words that may be help- 



12 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

fill to you, both now, when you arc in 
your teens, and in after years, by put- 
ting you on the right track for getting 

along, and so becoming useful and 
happy members of society. 



II. 

©it tfje jfarmatton of Character, 

13 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 



rpO begin at the beginning : " The 
fear of the Lord is the beginning 
of wisdom," and wisdom manifests it- 
self in truth, reverence, and obedience. 
These three are the only sure founda- 
tions on which character can be built. 
Should any one of them be wanting, 
the superstructure will certainly crum- 
ble into dust. If you would be truly 
wise, often read and ponder the Prov- 
erbs of Solomon, so as to steep them 
in your memory. Thus in daily life 



15 



16 HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

you will be better able, on occasion, to 

find needed help from their pithy and 
practical precepts. 

Tim in. Lord Bacon called " the cem- 
ent of society." Sir Thomas Browne 
said, " The liar is brave towards God, 
and a coward to men ; " and the father 
of the chivalrous Sir Philip Sidney 
wrote to his son, " Above all things, 
tell no untruth; no, not in trifles: 
the custom of it is naughty. And let 
it not satisfy you, that for a time the 
hearers take it for a truth ; for after, it 
will be known as it is. to your shame: 
for there cannot be a greater reproach 
to a gentleman than to be accounted a 
liar. . . . Take heed that thou be not 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 17 

found a liar ; for a lying spirit is hate- 
ful both to God and man. A liar is 
commonly a coward, for he dares not 
avow the truth. A liar is trusted of 
no man, he can have no credit either 
in public or private ; and, if there were 
no more arguments than this, know 
that our Lord, in St. John, saith that 
it is a vice proper to Satan, lying being 
opposite to the nature of God, which 
consisteth in truth; and the gain of 
lying is nothing else, but not to be 
trusted of any, nor to be believed 
when we say the truth. It is said 
in the Proverbs that God hateth false 
lips; and he that speaketh lies shall 
perish" 



18 hints TO OUH BOYS. 

Therefore be always truthful. 

Straightforward, and manly. 

Without reverence for God and for 

that which is most noble and God-like 

in man. and a humble, teachable spir- 
it, how can we assimilate any thing 
which is truly great, good, or wise, or 
make any real progress, either moral 
or intellectual] 

Man is in duty bound to OBEY God ; 
and, in accordance with the divine 
law of the universe, parents are com- 
manded to train up and discipline a 
child in the way he should go. On 
the other hand, the Fifth Command- 
ment requires the child to obey his 
parents ; and it is a privilege as well 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 19 

as a duty, — in fact, the pre-requisite 
condition of his own well-being, — that 
he should do so. This is the divinely 
appointed way, expressly so arranged 
for the right on-going of the world. 
Be it remembered, too, by the young, 
that a habit of strict and conscientious 
obedience is the surest way of acquir- 
ing the ability to command. 

Throughout the Bible, truth, rever- 
ence, and obedience are everywhere 
inculcated, and exemplified in the best 
of men. Towards the formation of 
character, then, let every one, with 
God's help, earnestly strive to possess 
these high and indispensable quali- 
ties, 



2'J HINTS TO OUB BOl S. 

** Nor bate a jot 
Of heart or hope, but still bear up, and 

eer 
Right onward," 

ever, as Tennyson said of the late 
prince-consort, 

"Wearing the white flower of a blameless 
life." 

It is the recorded experience of the 
good, that a blessing follows the ob- 
servance of the Lord's Day. while the 
neglect of it is usually the first down- 
ward step taken by the criminal classes. 
The three nations that pay most regard 
to a rest-day are also the richest. — the 
Jewish, the British, and the American. 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 21 

Sir Walter Raleigh says, " There is 
nothing more becoming any wise man 
than to make choice of friends, for by 
them thou shall be judged what thou 
art. Let them, therefore, be wise and 
virtuous." 

Wordsworth expressed a deep philo- 
sophical truth when he wrote, " The 
child is father of the man ; " for the 
germ of character fostered and devel- 
oped in youth largely influences man- 
hood, and consequently the good or 
evil that vibrates on to a distant future 
from every man. Let this thought, 
then, be deeply lodged in every youth- 
ful mind, — that "now is the crisis of 
life ; that every hour of time, every 



22 HINTS TO OUB DOTS. 

habit of thought, feeling, or action, the 

book or paper you road, the words you 
hear, the companions with whom you 
associate, the purposes you cherish, — 
each makes its indelible mark ; and all 
combine and work together in forming 
you for future honor, usefulness, and 
happiness, or for shame, misery, and 
death." 

The Rev. George Everard, M.A., 
in an admirable book for young men. 
called " Strong and Free," says, M A 
man is known by his friends. But 
more than this : a man is made or 
marred by his friends. Companion- 
ship is one of the great factors of life. 

c; Choose for your friends the good 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 23 

and upright, and moral. Throw in 
your lot with those who fear and love 
God, and they will strengthen your 
resolutions, and help you when weak 
and tempted. Give yourself up to the 
society of the ungodly, and you will 
fall into their ways, and share their 
misery. A bad companion is about 
the very worst enemy you can have, 
though a bad book may do you almost 
as much harm. Keep clear of both. 
Mind the paint. Don't touch pitch. 
Go the other side the road rather than 
shake hands with one who may draw 
you along with him in the path of 
evil." 

In choosing companions, then, seek 



2 1 HINTS TO OIK BOI B. 

to distinguish between appearances and 

realities. 

In your studies be thorough, and 
master one chapter before you pass on 
to the next. Knowledge is only the 
raw material of wisdom, — a truth 
which is too often overlooked in the 
teaching of children and youths : for. 
unless food be assimilated, it cannot 
nourish the system. " How is it that 
you do not understand that simple 
thing?" said a teacher to a child. " I 
don't know, teacher : I often wonder 
at it myself; and I sometimes think 
that I have so many things to learn, 
that I have no time to understand 
things/' 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 25 

That child's remark wisely hits the 
truth, and we commend it to all who 
have practically to do with educational 
matters. In many schools the absurd 
and cruel forcing system commonly 
pursued is productive of incalculable 
evils, physical and mental; for the 
oppressive drudgery of so much les- 
son-preparation assuredly robs a child 
of its youth, injures the brain, and is 
of comparatively little use, either at 
the time or in after-life. 

"While admitting that the memory 
ought to be cultivated to a moderate 
extent, and a knowledge of facts and 
general information acquired, so as to 
form a basis on which to build and 



26 HINTS TO 0! B B01 S. 

reason, still the great object of all edu- 
cation surely ought to be the healthy 
development of the religious and moral 
nature and of the intellectual faculties: 

in short, heart first, then head ; for 

"It is the heart, and not the brain, 
That to the highest doth attain." 

In this way there is far more hope of 
young people being taught to think 
and act rightly for themselves than 
when they are merely overtasked, 
slaved, and crammed with a transient. 
hazy, verbal smattering of the ologies. 

An old German writer of the thir- 
teenth century says. ;; lie who directs 
his life well, understands the best sort 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 27 

of grammar. To speak from the 
heart, and tell the truth, is very good 
dialectic, and it will serve very well 
for rhetoric also. He who runs up a 
long score of good actions succeeds 
well in arithmetic ; and the man whose 
life is starry with virtues is a famous 
astronomer. This is the kind of edu- 
cation which all the people ought to 
have." 

At Aylesbury, after the passing of 
Mr. Forster's bill and the modification 
of the Education Act, under the press- 
ure of the secularist supporters of the 
Government, Mr. Disraeli expressed 
his belief that it was but a measure of 
transition. 



28 in.\ rs TO OUH B »'» 9. 

" !i would. " said he, " put an end to 
some difficulties, and help on to some 
advantages; hut he could not believe 

that the people of this country would 
in tlu* long-run be entirely satisfied 
with the existing provision for educa- 
tion. They would require richer and 
more various elementary education : 
and, when they obtained that, they 
would require a religious education; 
because, as their intelligence expanded 
and was cultivated, they would require 
information as to the relations which 
exist between God and man. as the 
most interesting portion of the knowl- 
edge they would seek to acquire." 
As to what a boy's character should 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 29 

be, a philosopher has well said, " First, 
be true, be genuine. No education is 
worth any thing that does not include 
this. A man had better not know 
how to read, he had better not learn 
a letter of the alphabet, and be true 
and genuine in intention and in action, 
rather than, being learned in all sci- 
ences and in all languages, to be at 
the same time false in heart, and coun- 
terfeit in life. Truth is more than 
riches, more than culture, more than 
earthly power or position. Second, 
be pure in thought, language, and life, 
pure in mind and in body. An impure 
man, young or old, poisoning the so- 
ciety where he moves with impure sto- 



30 hints TO ODB BOY8< 

rieo and bad example, is a moral ulcer, 
a plague-spot, a leper, who ought to 

be treated as were the lepers of old. 
Third, be unselfish. Care for the feel- 
ings and comfort of others. Be polite. 
Be just in all dealings with others. 
Be generous, noble, and manly. This 
will include a genuine reverence for 
the aged and for things sacred. Fourth, 
be self-reliant and self-helpful, even 
from early childhood. Be industrious 
always, and self-supporting at the ear- 
liest proper age. Remember that all 
honest work is honorable, and that an 
idle, useless life of dependence on 
others is disgraceful." 

When a boy has learned these four 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 31 

things, when he has made these ideas 
a part of his being, however young he 
may be, however poor, or however 
rich, next to the great saving truths 
of revealed religion itself, of which 
these traits are the outcome, he has 
learned some of the most important 
things he ought to know when he be- 
comes a man. 

Let boys also learn that success costs 
something ; that they must determine, 
in spite of weariness and disappoint- 
ment, to persevere; that they must 
learn submission to those who are over 
them, and cheerfully meet every requi- 
sition made upon them. Teach them 
to have nothing to do with idlers and 



3*2 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

spendthrifts and fast follows. Don't 
believe in any genius, or luck, or 
chance. It is application that pays, 

in the long-run. The essential spe- 
cialties of a good business-man might 
be comprised in these three items, — 
good principles, good temper, and 
good sense. And be sure of this : if 
you are men, — true, faithful, upright, 
intelligent men. — the world will want 
you, and you will readily find your 
place. 

" Who cares to subsist," says Sir 
Thomas Browne in his " Hydriota- 
phia," " like Hippocrates' patients, or 
Achilles' horses in Homer, under na- 
ked nominations, without deserts and 



ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 33 

noble acts, which are the balsam of 
our memories, the entelechia and soul 
of our subsistences ? To be nameless 
in worthy deeds exceeds an infamous 
history. The Canaanitish woman lives 
more happily without a name than 
Herodias with one. And who had not 
rather have been the good thief than 
Pilate?" 

The way to gain a good reputation, 
according to Socrates, is to " endeavor 
to be what you desire to appear." 
Francis Quarles quaintly says, " Be 
wisely worldly, be not worldly wise." 
Good Bishop Hall calls " moderation" 
" the silken string running through 
the pearl chain of all virtues ; " and the 



3 1 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

German pod Novalis has defined char- 
acter to be " a perfectly educated wilL" 

** No pleasure/ 1 says Bacon, ;; is com- 
parable to the standing upon the van- 
tage-ground of truth." 

George Herbert writes, — 

" Dare to be true ; nothing can need a lie : 
A fault which needs it most grows two 
thereby." 

Cowper affirms, — 

" He is the freeman whom the truth sets 
free, 
And all are slaves besides." 

And Burns boldly declares, — 

" An honest man's the noblest work of 
God." 



III. 

©n lea&fag Srfjool for a Profession or 
Business* 



ON LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFES- 
SION OR BUSINESS. 



rjIHE time for leaving school is gen- 
erally looked forward to as an 
emancipation from the irksome and 
often far too heavy task of preparing 
lessons in the evenings ; but, after 
school is left, boys as often regretfully 
look back from " dry drudgery at the 
desk's dead wood "to " the days that 
are no more," to the weekly Saturday 
holiday, and to the long vacation in 
the sweet summer-time. It is not an 

87 



38 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

uncommon thing to learn the value of 
privileges, for the first time, only when 

we are deprived of them. The future 
lures us on and on, even beyond the 
confines of time, to spirit-realms. 
Wordsworth truly and philosophically 
said, that man is always occupied with 
" something evermore about to be." 

But as, in a certain sense, the pres- 
ent alone is ours, let us use it well ; 
for it is ever becoming an irrevocable 
past, and, at the same time, potentially 
influencing the future. 

Sir Arthur Help says that tempera- 
ment is one of the great aids or hin- 
derancos to the success of a man, and 
that he deems a combination of the 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 39 

desponding and the resolute best, 
or, rather, of " the apprehensive and 
the resolute ; . so that they secretly 
rely upon nothing and upon nobody, 
and are prepared for all emergencies. 
" Such," says he, " is the temperament 
of great commanders." 

In regard to the choosing of a pro- 
fession, he advises that you "be not 
over-choice in looking out for what 
may exactly suit you, but rather be 
ready to adopt any opportunities that 
occur. Fortune does not stoop often 
to take any one up. Favorable op- 
portunities will not happen precisely 
in the way that you have imagined: 
nothing does. Be not discouraged, 



10 BINTS TO 01 B D0T8. 

therefore, by a present detriment in 
any course which may lead to some- 
thing good. Time is so precious here! 

Get, if you can. into one or other of 
the main grooves of human affairs/' 

" Luck," said Garfield, " is an ignis 
fatuus. You may follow it to ruin. 
but never to success. . . . Things don't 
turn up in this world until somebody 
turns them up." 

c; You do well, my dear sir," said 
Cowper the poet to a young man en- 
tering on a professional career, " to 
improve your opportunity ; to speak 
in rural phrase, this is your sowing- 
time, and the sheaves you look for can 
never be yours unless you make that 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 41 

use of it. The color of our whole life 
is generally such as the three or four 
first years in which we are our own 
masters make it. Then it is that we 
may be said to shape our own destiny, 
and to treasure up for ourselves a 
series of future successes or disappoint- 
ments." And E. A. Hunter, an Ameri- 
can author, addressing boys training 
for business, says, — 

" The first year of a boy's business 
life is a critical one. He comes, per- 
haps, from a country home, certainly 
from a school-life well hedged about 
and protected by careful parents and 
teachers. He has lived, heretofore, 
under conditions in which it was easier 



42 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

to go right than wrong; and it is in- 
deed a change when lie takes life into 
hifi own hands, and plunges into a great 

city's business current whose ramifica- 
tions encircle the whole world, and be- 
comes one little atom in its force. 
Then it is he gets his first practical 
experience of life, and gains his first 
real knowledge of men and things. 
Then, too, he begins to find out what 
mettle he himself is made of, and to 
shape his life's course; and, as he gives 
it an upward or a downward curve, bo 
it is apt to continue. 

" A boy's first position in a commer- 
cial house is usually at the foot of the 
ladder : his duties are plain, his place 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 43 

is insignificant, and his salary is small. 
He is expected to familiarize himself 
with the business ; and, as he becomes 
more intelligent in regard to it, he is 
advanced to a more responsible place. 
His first duty, then, is to his work. He 
must cultivate, day by day, habits of 
fidelity, accuracy, neatness, and de- 
spatch ; and these qualities will tell in 
his favor as surely as the world re- 
volves. Though he may work unno- 
ticed and uncommended for months, 
such conduct always meets its reward. 

" The boys who are growing up to 
take the places of those men who now 
direct our commerce and manufactures 



44 hints TO oik BOYS. 

should be noble-hearted, honorable, and 
intelligent men, not amassing wealth 
for its own sake, or for the selfish pleas- 
ure which it brings, but to bestow it 
in a wise philanthropy for the comfort, 
welfare, and advancement of their fel- 
low-men." 

Listen, also, to what the poets say on 
this subject; for they are admitted by 
the wise to be the most philosophical 
teachers of mankind. 

Shakspeare, who ; - was not of an age. 
but for all time," asserts, — 

"Men at some time are masters of their 
fates : 
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings." 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 45 

He elsewhere says, — 

" There is a tide in the affairs of men 
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to 

fortune ; 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
On such a full sea are we now afloat ; 
And we must take the current when it 

serves, 
Or lose our ventures." 

Old George Chapman, the translator 
of Homer, thus quaintly expresses the 
same truth : — 

"There is a deep nick in Time's restless 
wheel 
For each man's good, when which nick 
comes, it strikes." 



lo HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

Milton says, — 

"Accuse not Nature, Bhe hath clone her 
part; 
I >o thou but thine ; n 

and George Herbert writes, — 

" Help thyself, and God will help thee." 

Shakspeare, however, frankly ad- 
mits that — 

" Fortune brings in some boats that are 
not steered." 

So let us follow Addison's wise re- 
solve, when he declares. — 

" Tis not in mortals to command succes- : 
But we'll do more, Sempronius: we'll de- 
serve it." 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 47 

Sir Walter Scott, writing to a youth 
who had newly obtained a situation, 
gave him this excellent advice : — 

" You must beware of stumbling 
over a propensity which easily besets 
you, from not having your time fully 
occupied. I mean what women very 
expressively call dawdling. Your mot- 
to must be, Hoc age (This do). Do 
instantly whatever is to be done, and 
take the hours of recreation after busi- 
ness, and never before it. When a 
regiment is under march, the rear is 
often thrown into confusion because 
the front do not move steadily and 
without interruption. It is the same 
thing with business. If that which is 



48 MINI'S TO OUH BOYS. 

first in hand is not instantly, steadily, 
and regularly despatched, other things 
accumulate behind, till affairs begin to 

press all at once, and no human brain 
can stand the confusion. Pray, remem- 
ber this : this is a habit of mind which 
is very apt to beset men of intellect 
and talent, especially when their time 
is not regularly filled up, and is left at 
their own arrangement ; but it is like 
the ivy round the oak. and ends by 
limiting, if it does not destroy, the 
power of manly and necessary exer- 
tion. I must love a man so well, to 
whom I offer such a word of advice, 
that I will not apologize for it, but ex- 
pect to hear you are become as regular 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 49 

as a Dutch clock, — hours, quarters, 
minutes, all marked and appropriated. 
This is a great cast in life, and it 
must be played with all skill and 
caution." 

The following excellent business 
maxims, by the late Bishop Middleton, 
are worthy of being committed to 
memory, in order that we may have 
friendly monitors at hand, always 
ready to inculcate sound principles 
when occasions arise on which they 
are needed : — 

" Maintain dignity without the ap- 
pearance of pride. Persevere against 
discouragement. Keep your temper. 
Be punctual and methodical in busi- 



50 iii.n rs ro oub boi s. 

ness 3 and aever procrastinate. Pre- 
serve self-possession, and do not be 
talked out of conviction. Never be in 
a hurry. Rise curly, and be an econo- 
mist of time. Practise strict temper- 
ance. Manner is something with 
everybody, and every thing with some. 
Be guarded in discourse, attentive, and 
slow to speak. Never acquiesce in 
immoral or pernicious opinions. \)c 
not forward to assign reasons to tin 
who have no right to ask. Think 
nothing in conduct unimportant or 
indifferent. In all your transactions 
remember the final account." 

During business hours, whatever 
your occupation, be it profession or 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 51 

business, apply yourself to it con amove , 
and resolve thoroughly to master it, 
even to the minutest detail. Towards 
this, strict " attention, accuracy, meth- 
od, punctuality, and despatch" are 
requisite. Neglect nothing; for little 
things that may seem very trifling to 
the uninitiated are often, in reality, 
all-important. 

If you would be independent, you 
must be industrious. Do not be con- 
tent to lean upon others and wait for 
help. The indolent and vacillating 
never succeed. Let a youth adopt the 
Roman maxim, " I will either find a 
way or make one." If you can't get 
the opportunity or position you want, 



5'J HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

take the next best that is available. 
Don't be idle. 

••sloth, like rust, consumes faster 
than labor wears, while the used key 
is always bright." 

" lie that riseth late must trot all 
day, and shall scarce overtake his busi- 
ness at night ; while Laziness travels 
so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes 
him." 

Activity is not always energy; for. in 
order to success, labor must be rightly 
directed, else it is wasted and worth- 
less. Real energy is disciplined, steady, 
and persevering, till it compasses what 
it definitely aims at. 

" There is nothing," says Francis 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 53 

Osborne, speaking of the greatness 
and corruption of the Court of Rome, 
"that idleness and peace make not 
worse ; labor and exercise, better. 
The tree that stands in the weather 
roots best and deepest ; the running 
water, and air that is agitated, are most 
wholesome and sweet. The cause of 
this may be deduced from God's eternal 
decree, that nothing in nature should 
remain idle and without motion." 

" An idler is a watch that wants both hands, 
As useless if it goes, as if it stands." 1 

Do your duty faithfully to the best 
of your ability, come what will. To a 

1 Cowper. 



5 1 HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

young midshipman Admiral Colling- 
wood gave the following manly and 
sensible advice: "You may depend 

upon it, that it is more in your own 
power than in anybody else's to 
promote both your comfort and ad- 
vancement. A strict and unwearied 
attention to your duty, and a compla- 
cent and respectful behavior not only 
to your superiors, but to everybody, will 
insure you their regard, and the re- 
ward will surely come ; but. if it should 
not, I am convinced you have too much 
good sense to let disappointment sour 
you. Guard carefully against letting 
discontent appear in you. It will be 
sorrow to your friends, a triumph to 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 55 

your competitors, and cannot be pro- 
ductive of any good. Conduct yourself 
so as to deserve the best that can come 
to you, and the consciousness of your 
own proper behavior will keep you in 
spirits if it should not come. Let it 
be your ambition to be foremost in all 
duty. Do not be a nice observer of 
turns, but ever present yourself ready 
for every thing ; and, unless your offi- 
cers are very inattentive men, they will 
not allow others to impose more duty 
on you than they should." 

Garfield said, " In order to have 
any success in life, or any worthy suc- 
cess, you must resolve to carry into 
your work a fulness of knowledge, — 



56 HINTS TO OUH BOYS, 

not merely a sufficiency, but more than 
a sufficiency. Be fit for more than the 
thing you are doing. If you arc not 
too large for the place, you arc too 
small for it." 

Thomas Tegg, the publisher, attrib- 
uted his success in life mainly to three 
things, — " punctuality as to time, self- 
reliance, and integrity in word and 
deed." 

The late distinguished Sir Robert 
Lush, one of the lord-justices of her 
Majesty's court of appeal, was the son of 
a poor, industrious woman, who strug- 
gled to maintain herself by keeping 
a small shop for stationery, lie rose 
to his high and honorable position 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 57 

from being an errand-boy in a solicit- 
or's office ; and, under the blessing of 
God, he owed his elevation to punctual- 
ity, an obliging disposition, diligence, 
thoroughness, steady perseverance, up- 
rightness, and intelligence. 

Have the courage to leave a conviv- 
ial party at a proper hour for so do- 
ing, however great the sacrifice, and 
to stay away from one, upon any good 
grounds for objection, however great 
may be the temptation to go. 

Scorn eye-service, for God always 
sees you. Be faithful and diligent, if 
you would succeed. According to a 
well-known German proverb, " Every 
man must either be a hammer or an 



58 minis to OUB BOYS, 

anvil. You can be either the one or 
the other: consider well which of the 
two you intend to be. 

THE BATTLE OF LIKE. 

Go forth to the buttle of life, my boy, 

Go while it is called to-day; 
For the years go out and the years come in. 
Regardless of those who may lose or win. 

Of those who may work or play. 

And the troops march steadily on, my boy, 

To the army gone before ; 
You may hear the sound of their falling 

feet 
Going down to the river where two worlds 
meet: 
They go, to return no more. 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 59 

There's a place for you in the ranks, my 
boy, 

And duty, too, assigned : 
Step into the front with a cheerful face; 
Be quick, or another may take your place, 

And you may be left behind. 

There is work to be done by the way, my 
boy, 
That you never can tread again , — 
Work for the loftiest, lowliest men, — 
Work for the plough, plane, spindle, and 
pen, — 
Work for the hands and the brain. 

The serpent will follow your steps, my boy, 

To lay for your feet a snare ; 
And Pleasure sits in her fairy bowers, 
With garlands of poppies and lotus-flowers 

Inwreathing her golden hair. 



60 HINTS TO OUR B( 

Temptations will wait by the way, my 
boy, — 
Temptations without and within ; 

And spirits of evil, with robes as lair 
As those which the angels in heaven might 
wear, 
Will lure you to deadly sin. 

Then put on the armor of God. my boy, 

In the beautiful days of youth ; 
Put on the helmet and breastplate and 

shield, 
And the sword that the feeblest arm may 
wield 
In the cause of right and truth. 

And go to the battle of life, my boy, 
With the peace of the gospel >hod, 



LEAVING SCHOOL FOR A PROFESSION. 61 

And before high Heaven do the best you 

can 
For the great reward and the good of 

man, 
For the kingdom and crown of God. 



IV. 

GTjje Falue of 2Ttme. 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 



TV/TAKE the most of your leisure 
hours. Time is, as Kichter called 
it, " the chrysalis of eternity," and very 
precious. " Dost thou love life," said 
Franklin, " then do not squander time, 
for that is the stuff life is made of:" 
therefore husband and judiciously ap- 
portion it to study, recreation, and 
amusement. Sir Walter Scott, in a 
narrative of personal history, gives the 
following caution to youth : " If it 
should ever fall to the lot of youth to 



65 



66 HINTS TO 01 B DOTS. 

peruse these pages, lei such readers 
remember that it is with the deepest 
regrel that 1 recollect in my manhood 

the 1 opportunities of learning which I 
neglected in my youth; that, through 
every part of my literary career, 1 have 
felt pinched and hampered by my own 
ignorance ; and I would this moment 
give half the reputation that it has 
been my good fortune to acquire, if. by 
doing so. I could rest the remaining 
part upon a sound foundation of learn- 
ing and science." 

Work when you work, and play 
when you play. Be in earnest with 
whatever you are about. Determine 
to navigate, and never be content 
merelv to drift. 



THE YALUE OF TIME. 67 

Of our leisure hours, the Rev. Henry 
Martyn Grout, D.D., at the centennial 
of the " Concord Social Circle," on 
March 21, 1882, wisely said, "There 
is hardly a surer means of determining 
the grade of a man's culture, his intel- 
lectual quality, his moral proclivities, 
and his religious character, than by 
observing where he goes and what he 
does when the day's work is over. 
Teach a people to spend their even- 
ings and holidays and Sundays wisely, 
and you have made them prosperous, 
virtuous, and happy. You have before- 
hand settled all the questions which so 
perplex social reformers. Nothing, of 
course, can rightly or really displace 



68 HINTS TO OCR BOY8. 

the restful and uplifting delights of 
homo. This may be taken for granted. 
Any thing which robs the home i*> no 
blessing: it is a curse." 

The main business of school was to 
furnish you with tools, and teach you 
how to use them in the subsequent 
work of self-culture, which, after all, is 
the highest kind of education. 

In carrying it out. let your home 
really be home to you, and spend most 
of your time there. Some boys alto- 
gether reverse this the natural order 
of things, and, instead of settling in- 
doors to furnish their minds, go out 
a-visiting, or idling about, almost every 
evening ; or remain in. to devour sen- 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 69 

sational novels from the circulating 
library. Such baneful habits too often 
lead to the formation of unworthy com- 
panionships ; temptation is tampered 
with, then yielded to ; conscience gets 
seared ; and the end of sin is death. 

Every one with whom we come into 
close contact influences us for good 
or for ill, and so makes us better or 
worse, whether at the time we are con- 
scious of it or not : hence the vital 
importance of choosing the right kind 
of associates, — those who are wise and 
good, and from whose example we can 
learn what is helpful for us in the on- 
ward and upward path. " Words," 
says Thomas Hobbes, " are wise men's 



JU HINTS ]o oil: BOYS. 

counters, they do but reckon by them ; 
but they are the money of fools." The 
proverb truly says, " Show me your 
friends, and I will tell you what you 
arc." Better no companions than had 
ones. In the Book of books it is writ- 
ten. " He that walketh with wise men 
shall be wise ; but a companion of fools 
shall be destroyed," — a truth which 
has been amply confirmed by the expe- 
rience of all the centuries. 

Your leisure hours are. in a certain 
sense, the only hours you can call your 
own. and are therefore far too precious 
to be wasted, or entirely frittered away. 
Time lost is lost forever: gone to the 
past, it can never be recalled. % * What 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 71 

we call time enough always proves 
little enough." 

Strive hard, then, to improve and 
make the most of it. Use as aids what 
Dryden calls " the spectacles of books." 
" A few books," says Francis Osborne, 
" well studied and thoroughly digested, 
nourish the understanding more than 
hundreds but gargled in the mouth, as 
ordinary students use." The field of 
study is wide : choose such branches 
of history, geography, literature, sci- 
ence, art, music, or language, as you 
feel most inclined for. Natural tastes 
and aptitudes will determine which. 

How much the pleasure of a country 
walk is enhanced by a knowledge of 



72 BINT8 TO 0! B B01 8. 

geology, botany, natural history, or by 
an artistic eye for the beauty of the 
landscape under ever-varying atnn «- 
pheric effects! This subject has been 
well illustrated in the story of M \a< - 
and No Eyes." in " Evenings at Home."' 
Charles Lamb speaks of ; - books 
which are no books.*' In your read- 
ing, of whatever kind, always keep by 
the very best books which are to be 
had on the subject in hand. Tin 
take no more time to read — often L 
— than second or third rate works, 
while the result is much more satis- 
factory. Nowadays you have facilities, 
both for ascertaining the names of the 
best books and for procuring them 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 73 

from libraries, such as the richest or 
most learned people in olden days did 
not possess. 

" Were I to pray for a taste," said 
Sir John Herschel, " which should 
stand me in stead under every variety 
of circumstances, and be a source of 
happiness and cheerfulness to me dur- 
ing life, and a shield against its ills, 
however things might go amiss and 
the world frown upon me, it would be 
a taste for reading. Give a man this 
taste, and the means of gratifying it, 
and you can hardly fail of making 
him a happy man — unless, indeed, 
you put into his hands a most perverse 
selection of books. You place him in 



<4 HINTS TO 01 B BOYS. 

contact with the best society ill every 
period of history, — with the wisest, 
the wittiest, the tenderest, the bravest, 
and the purest characters who have 

adorned humanity. You make him a 
denizen of all nations, a contemporary 
of all ages. The world has been 
created for him." 

Coleridge, speaking of the different 
kinds of readers, says. — 

" Some readers are like the hour- 
glass (their reading is as the sand : 
it runs in and. runs out, but leaves 
not a vestige behind) ; some like a 
sponge, which imbibes every thing, and 
returns it in the same state, only a lit- 
tle dirtier ; some like a jelly-bag. which 



THE YALUE OF TIME. iO 

allows all that is good to pass away, 
and retains only the refuse and dregs. 
The fourth class may be compared to 
the slave of Golconda, who, casting 
away all that is worthless, preserves 
only the pure gems." 

What Fuller, the church historian, 
says of travellers may also be fitly 
applied to readers : — 

" Labor to distil and unite into thy- 
self the scattered perfections of several 
nations. But (as it was said of one, 
who, with more industry than judg- 
ment, frequented a college-library, and 
commonly made use of the worst notes 
he met with in any authors, that c he 
weeded the library') many weed for- 



76 hints TO OUR BOY8. 

eign countries. — bringing home Dutch 
drunkenness, Spanish pride, French 

wantonness, and Italian atheism. As 

for the good herbs, Dutch industry, 
Spanish loyalty, French courtesy, and 
Italian frugality, — these thev leave be- 
hind them. Others bring home just 
nothing, and, because they singled not 
themselves from their countrymen, 
though some years beyond the sea. 
were never out of England. 

•• A mans reading is usually a fair 
index of his character. Observe, in 
almost every house you visit, the books 
which lie customarily on the parlor 
table, or note what are brought home 
for perusal from the library, and you 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 77 

may form a pretty accurate idea, not 
only of the intellectual tastes and the 
general intelligence of the members 
of the family, but also, and what is 
of deeper moment, of the moral attain- 
ments and spiritual advancement of 
the household. c A man is known,' 
it is said, c by the company he keeps.' 
It is equally true that a man's charac- 
ter may be, to a great extent, ascer- 
tained by knowing what books he 
reads. A bad book cannot be read 
without leaving a baneful influence 
behind it ; and it is almost impossible 
to peruse a good book without feeling 
better for it. Bad books are like ar- 
dent spirits: both intoxicate, — one the 



78 BINTS TO 01 B BOYS. 

mind. the other the body. — and the 

thirsl for each increases by being in- 
dulged, and is never satisfied ; both 

ruin. — one the intellect, the other the 
health, and both the bouI. Precious, 

on the other hand, and priceless, are 
the blessings that good books scatter 
on our daily path. They bring us into 
the society of the good, noblest, and 
truest men of all ages and countries, 
and carry us into the purest regions of 
earth, at our own free will." 

Garfield beautifully says, " All along 
the dim centuries, are gleaming lamps 
which mind has lighted ; and these are 
revealing to the historian the path 
which humanity has trod." 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 79 

What a high privilege it is to have 
free access to the " words that wise 
Bacon or brave Raleigh spoke," and to 
have opportunities of " beholding the 
bright countenance of truth in the 
quiet and still air of delightful stud- 
ies," so that, if inclined, we can at least 
attempt, as Tennyson finely puts it, — 

" To follow knowledge like a sinking star, 
Beyond the utmost bound of human 
thought." 

Milton, in his "Tractate of Educa- 
tion," says, " A good book is the precious 
life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed 
and treasured up on purpose to a life 
beyond life." And he also speaks of 



80 BINTS TO OUB BOT8. 

those who arc *• inflamed with the 

study of learning, and the admiration 
of virtue ; stirred up with high hopes 

of living to be brave men and worthy 
patriots, dear to God, and famous to 
all ages." 

" They are never alone," says Sir 
Philip Sidney. ; * that are accompanied 
with noble thoughts . . . high erected 
thoughts seated in the heart of cour- 
tesy." 

However much reading of a miscel- 
laneous kind you contrive to overtake, 
it will become far more serviceable by 
being sorted, and bound in sheaves. 
Lay down a main trunk-line, from 
which other branch lines may diverge, 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 81 

and you will find the great advantage 
of method in courses of systematic 
reading. Even a little knowledge ac- 
quired every day soon mounts up to a 
considerable aggregate. 

Edmund Stone replied to the Duke 
of Argyll, in answer to the inquiry how 
he, a poor gardener's boy, had con- 
trived to be able to read " Newton's 
Principia" in Latin, " One needs only 
to know the twenty-four letters of the 
alphabet in order to learn every thing 
that one wishes." 

Lord Brougham, in giving advice to 
a young student, said, " Try to know 
something about every thing, and every 
thing about something." 



82 HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

Two kinds of knowledge arc useful; 
viz., to know a subject ourselves, or to 

know whore we can find information 
about it when required. Knowledge 
in the first instance is raw material, 

and only becomes power of the right 
kind when it is converted into wis- 
dom. 

Thus a man, as Milton says, may 
be — 

"Deep versed in books, and shallow in 
himself;*' 

and, on the other hand, the wisest men, 
like Sir Isaac Newton, at length come 
to regard themselves merelv ; * as chil- 
dren gathering pebbles on the shore 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 83 

of the great ocean of truth, which lies 
all undiscovered before them." 

A mind well stored with what is 
good has less room to spare for that 
which is bad. Gradually, too, the 
taste, by such conduct, becomes re- 
fined ; first ceasing to crave for, and 
ultimately rejecting, what is inferior in 
matter and manner. The attraction of 
that which is loud and sensational 
palls; and in its place, with the ap- 
proach of mental maturity, at length 
comes the healthy desire and keen rel- 
ish for what is wholesome and nutri- 
tious, with due appreciation of calm, 
reflective, condensed wisdom drawn 
from the divinely arranged harmonies 



8 1 HINTS TO OIK BOI 3. 

of the outward universe, which corre- 
spond with the inner and purest depths 
of the human heart. There is hope, 
for example, of a youth, when he be- 
gins to manifest a real appreciation of 
the noble teaching of Wordsworth. 

Longfellow, in his poem entitled 
" The Builders/' aptly says, — 

All are architects of Fate, 

Working in these walls of time, — 
Some with massive deeds, and great, 

Some with ornaments of rhyme. 

Nothing useless is, or low ; 

Each thing in its place is best ; 
And what seems but idle show 

Strengthens and supports the rest. 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 85 

For the structure that we raise, 

Time is with materials filled : 
Our to-days and yesterdays 

Are the blocks with which we build. 

Truly shape and fashion these ; 

Leave no yawning gaps between : 
Think not, because no man sees, 

Such things will remain unseen. 

In the elder days of art, 

Builders wrought with greatest care 
Each minute and unseen part ; 

For the gods see everywhere. 

Let us do our work as well, 
Both the unseen and the seen ; 

Make the house where gods may dwell 
Beautiful, entire, and clean : 



Mi HINTS TO OCR BOYS. 

our lives are LncompL 
Standing in these walls of time, — 
Broken stairways, where the feet 
Stumble as they Beek to climb. 

Build to-day, then, strong and sure, 

With a firm and ample base ; 
And ascending and secure 

Shall to-morrow find its place. 

Thus alone can we attain 

To those turrets where the eye 

Sees the world as one vast plain, 
And one boundless reach of sky. 

Here wc would warn the young 
against cards, billiards, or any games 
of chance that would lead them to play 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 87' 

for money; as that pernicious habit, 
once formed, invariably leads to disas- 
trous results. 

The poet Cowper, speaking of social 
converse, fireside enjoyments, home- 
born happiness, and the comforts of 
undisturbed retirement on the long 
winter evenings, with refined and sin- 
cere joy, exclaims, — 

" Cards were superfluous here, with all the 

tricks 
That idleness has ever yet contrived 
To fill the void of an unfurnished brain, 
To palliate dulness, and give time a 

shove. 
Time, as he passes us, has a dove's 

wing, 



ss HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

Unsoiled and swift, and of a silken 
sound ; 

But the world's time is time in mas- 
querade. 

Theirs, should I paint him, has his pin- 
ions fledged, 

With motley plumes, and, where the 
peacock shows 

His azure eyes, is tinctured black and 
red, 

With spots quadrangular, of diamond 
form, 

Ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of 
strife, 

And spades, the emblem of untimely 
graves." 

Playing cards for " pastime/' or as 

an " innocent amusement," soon be- 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 89 

comes a passion ; and, when once fixed, 
a man will forego home, family, busi- 
ness, and pleasure, and suffer the loss 
of his all for the exciting scenes of the 
card-table. 

The late Dr. Holland, the accom- 
plished editor of " Scribner's Monthly 
Magazine," said, " I have all my days 
had a card-playing community open to 
my observation ; and I am yet unable to 
believe that that which is the universal 
resort of the starved soul and intellect, 
which has never in any way linked to 
itself tender, elevating, or beautiful, 
associations, the tendency of which is 
to unduly absorb the attention from 
more weighty matters, can recommend 



90 BINTS TO 01 R BOY8. 

itself to the favoi of Christ's disciples. 
The presence of culture 4 and genius 
embellish, but can never dignify it. 
" I have this moment," said lie, 

••ringing in my cars, the dying injunc- 
tion of my father's early friend. * Keep 
your son from cards. Over them I 
have murdered time, and lost heaven.' ' 
Fathers and mothers, keep your sons 
from cards in the home circle. What 
must a good angel think of a mother 
at the prayer-meeting asking prayer 
for the conversion of her son, whom she 
allowed to remain at home playing 
cards for " pastime " ? 

The late Bishop Bascom, in denoun- 
cing all forms of iniquity, speaks of the 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 91 

" gambler, who, rather than not to 
gratify his passion for play, would 
stake the throne of eternity upon the 
cast of a die ; who, unmoved by the 
tears and entreaties of her that bore 
him, the wife of his bosom, and the 
children of his love, continues to in- 
dulge his hated passion, until the in- 
fatuated reprobate would table his 
game upon the tomb of his father, or 
shuffle for infamy upon the threshold 
of hell." 

" Betting and gambling," says Ever- 
ard, " in every form and shape is in- 
jurious, and ought to be avoided. 
Whether it be at the billiard-table, or in 
a rubber of whist, on the race-course, or 



92 hints TO OUB hoys. 

elsewhere, nothing good will ever come 

of it. . . . It is an evil which takes 
such a firm grip of a young man. Like 

the cobra, it coils round him, and he 
cannot get free. If he wins, it urges 
him on to win more. If he loses, he 
will often borrow, beg, or steal, in the 
hope of making up for what he has 
lost. . . . Plain business duties, which 
are the surest road to an honest liveli- 
hood, are neglected or slurred oven* : 
... so every thing soon goes to rack 
and ruin, whilst a man is off to some 
race, or discussing some coming event 
with sporting companions. . . . Bet- 
ting is founded on selfishness : and the 
consequence is, that men who live by 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 93 

betting are, and cannot help being, the 
most selfish of men, and, I should think, 
the most unhappy and pitiable ; for if 
a man who is given up to selfishness, 
distrust, and cunning ; who is tempted 
every hour to treachery and falsehood, 
without the possibility of one noble or 
purifying feeling, or the consciousness 
that he has done the slightest good to 
a human being, — if that man is not a 
pitiable object, I know not what is." 
One whom such a course brought to 
a felon's doom remorsefully exclaimed, 
c Would that I had died before I had 
meddled with sin! Oh that I could 
recall the bitter past ! Drink and bil- 
liards have led me to this." 



9 I lll.Ms TO 01 B B01 B*. 

Iii regard to time rightly apportioned 
for play, we do not purpose here to 
treat of the various in-door or out-of- 
door games for amusement, relaxation. 
or recreation. However, in a word, 
we would say that moderate exercise 
in the open air is healthful and good, 
but that excessive athletic training is 
always attended by very serious dan- 
gers, and certainly should be avoided ; 
that, for the preservation of health, 
the body ought to be sponged rapidly 
with cold water every morning, when 
a plunge bath is not taken, and after- 
wards well rubbed with a rough towel ; 
and every one, for the same reason, as 
well as for the manly look of it. ought 



THE VALUE OF TIME. 95 

to learn to ivalk like a soldier, with 
head erect, and with chest well thrown 
forward, so that the lungs may have 
free play, and plenty of room to ex- 
pand. 

We close these remarks on the value 
of time — whether during professional, 
business, or lesson hours — by quoting 
the following lines from Lord Hough- 
ton:— 

" So should we live that every hour 
May die as dies the natural flower, 
A self-reviving thing of power ; 

" That every thought and every deed 
May hold within itself the seed 
Of future good and future meed ; 



96 HINTS TO OUB BOYB. 

"Esteeming sorrow, whose employ 

Is to develop, not destroy, 
Far belter than a barren joy." 



Economical Pfafcfts, 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 



TT7E must be just before we can be 
generous : therefore, in order to 
be able to help others, we ought first 
to be self-sustaining. To attain this 
end, remember that not only is knowl- 
edge power, but money is power, — 
money can purchase commodities ; and 
be it remembered that the basis of all 
value assuredly is labor. 

Economy largely consists in looking 
after many little things, so as to avoid 



LOO HINTS TO OUB BOY8. 

waste on the one hand, and unneces- 
sary expenditure on the other. 

Small beginnings lead to great re- 
sults : we must take the first step on 

the ladder, if we would reach the top. 
Many of the richest men began life 
with small means. Pence saved soon 
become shillings, and shillings pounds ; 
hundreds become thousands, and thou- 
sands millions. If these men had said. 
;; What is the use of these few coppers I 
they are not of much value, and we 
will just spend them, and enjoy our- 
selves as we go," they would never 
have risen to wealth. If a boy. by self- 
denial, contrives honestly to gain and 
save a few pounds, mare will easily 
follow. 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 101 

" Little strokes fell great oaks." 

Benjamin Franklin shrewdly says, 
"Beware of little expenses: a small 
leak will sink a great ship." 

Lay it down as a standing rule, to 
waste nothing. 

For example : never send away a 
rough plate from table, as is too often 
done, even where there are no animals 
to save such food from being washed 
out and utterly lost. We have actu- 
ally heard people tell their children 
not to make their plates clean, as if a 
dog had licked them, and as if they 
themselves were starved. 

On the other hand, our own excel- 
lent mother used to say that " all the 



102 hints TO OUH DOTS. 

wisest men in the world could not 
make one grain of corn: therefore let 
nothing whatever be lost that is good 
for food." " Waste not. want not." 
Her teaching was right; the other de- 
cidedly wrong. 

As William Penn truly observed. — 

" He that is taught to live upon 
little owes more to his father's wis- 
dom than he that has a great deal 
left him does to his father's care." 

Have the courage to discharge a 
debt while you have the money in your 
pocket. 

Have the courage to do without that 
which you do not need, however much 
you may admire it. 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 103 

Have the courage to wear your old 
garments till you can afford to pay for 
new ones. 

In matters of dress, don't throw 
aside half-worn clothes — hats, neck- 
ties, gloves, boots, etc. — whenever you 
get others " for best : " first obtain mon- 
ey's value, in wear, out of them ; and 
when, at length, they come to be legiti- 
mately cast off for good, — the time 
for doing so being determined by what 
you can reasonably afford, — let them 
be at once judiciously bestowed where 
they can have yet another lease of use- 
fulness. 

Before determining to make any 
purchase, consider well whether you 



104 HINTS TO OUR BOY8, 

cannot get along without it. Some 
people make themselves poor because 
the} can't resist the temptation of buy- 
ing bargains. 

As Ben Jonson pithily puts it, — 

" Learn to be wise, and practise how to 

thrive, — 
That would I have you do ; and not to 

spend 
Your coin on every bawble that you 

fancy, 
Or every foolish brain that humors you." 

Truly they are the richest whose 
wants are the fewest. Should an arti- 
cle be really necessary, then get it of 
good quality, in the best and cheapest 
market ; and always purchase with 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 105 

ready money. Never- wear clothing 
that is not already paid for : make this 
a standing rule, and avoid debt as you 
would the deadly coils of a boa-con- 
strictor. 

Douglas Jerrold wrote, " Of what 
a hideous progeny of ill is debt the 
father ! "What lies, what meanness, 
what invasions of self-respect, what 
cares, what double-dealing ! How in 
due season it will carve the frank, 
open face into wrinkles ! How, like a 
knife, it will stab the honest heart ! " 

" Never buy," says Francis Osborne, 
"'but with ready money ; and be drawn 
rather to fix where you find things 
cheap and good, than for friendship or 



106 ilivis TO 01 B BOY8. 

acquaintance, who are apt to take it 

unkindly if you will not be cheated: 
for, if you get nothing else by going 
from one shop to another, you .shall 
gain experience." 

Franklin calls it madness to run in 
debt for superfluities. " We are of- 
fered." says lie. i% by the terms of this 
sale, six months' credit ; and that, per- 
haps, has induced some of us to attend 
it, because we cannot spare the ready 
money, and hope now to be fine with- 
out it. But. ah ! think what you do 
when you run into debt : you give to 
another power over your liberty. If 
you cannot pay at the time, you will 
be a>hamed to see vonr creditor ; vou 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 107 

will be in fear when you speak to him ; 
you will make poor, pitiful, sneaking 
excuses, and, by degrees, come to lose 
your veracity, and sink into base, 
downright lying : for the second vice is 
lying ; the first is running in debt. . . . 
And again, to the same purpose : lying 
rides upon debt's back. . . . Though 
I had at first determined to buy stuff 
for a new coat, I went away resolved 
to wear my old one a little longer. 
Reader, if thou wilt do the same, thy 
profit will be as great as mine." 

Shakspeare gives the following ad- 
mirable piece of advice on this matter, 
which, though well known, can bear 
repeating : — 



10s hints to OUB BOY8. 

w » Neither a borrower nor a lender be i 
Fur loan oft Loses both itself and friend. 
And borrowing dulls the edge of hus- 
bandry. 

This, above all: to thine own self be 

true, 
And it must follow, as the night the day, 

Thou canst not then be false to any 
man.*' 

Sir Thomas Browne, in a letter dated 
Dec. 27. 1680, thus wrote to his son 
Edward : — 

God send you wisdome and providence, 
to make a prudent use of the moneys you 
have from mee, besides what you gett 
and otherwise. Lest repentance come 

too late upon you, consider that acci- 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 109 

dental charges may be alwayes coming 
upon you, and the folly of depending or 
hoping to much upon time turnes yet to 
come ; since yeares will creepe on, and 
impotent age accuse you for not thinck- 
ing early upon it. . . . Therefore consider 
well that you are not likely to playe in 
this world, or in old age, and be wise 
while you are able to gett, and save some- 
what against a bad winter, and uncer- 
taintie of times. God blesse you all. 
Your loving father, 

Thomas Browne. 

Give no quarter to intoxicating liq- 
uors, but shun them, from the mildest 
of ales to tlie fieriest of spirits. Used 
as beverages, these drinks not only do 



1 1 HIMs TO OUB BOI S. 

no good to the human frame, but they 
do positive and permanent harm both 

to person and pocket. 

Rev. C. -II. Spurgeon says to hoy-. 

;i Water is the strongest drink. Tt 
drives mills ; it's the drink of lions 
and horses ; and Samson never drank 
any tiring else. Let vonn^ men be 
teetotalers, if only for economy's sake. 
The beer -money will soon build a 
house. If what goes into the mash-tub 
went into the kneading-trough, fami- 
lies would be better fed and better 
taught. If what is spent in waste were 
only saved against a rainy day. work- 
houses would never be built. The 
man who spends his money with the 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. Ill 

publican, and thinks the landlord's 
bow, and ' How do you do, my good 
fellow ] ' means true respect, is a per- 
fect simpleton. We don't light fires 
for the herring's comfort, but to roast 
him. Men do not keep pot-houses for 
laborers' good : if they do, they miss 
their aim. Why, then, should people 
drink ' for the good of the host ' I If 
I spend money for the good of any 
house, let it be my own, and not the 
landlord's. It is a bad well into which 
you must put water; and the beer- 
house is a bad friend, because it takes 
your all, and leaves you nothing but 
headaches. He who calls those his 
friends who let him sit and drink by 



1 L2 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

the hour together, is ignorant, very 
ignorant Why, red lions, and tigers, 
and eagles, and vultures, are all crea- 
tures of prey; and why do SO many put 
themselves within the power of their 
jaws and talons? Such as drink and 
live riotously, and wonder why their 
faces are so blotchy and their pockets 
so bare, would leave off wondering if 
they had two grains of wisdom. They 
might as well ask an elm-tree for pears 
as look to loose habits for health and 
wealth. Those who go to the public 
house for happiness climb a tree to 
find fish." 

As Lord Derby lately pointed out. 
every glass of beer that is swallowed 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 113 

represents the average value of a 
square yard of land. 

Tobacco, in all its forms of nastiness, 
whether meerschaum, cigar, cutty-pipe, 
or poisonous cigarette, snuff, or quid, 
injures and lowers the nervous tone, 
injures digestion, induces special forms 
of disease, and in various ways most 
assuredly shortens life. While these 
are more or less its effects upon all, — 
opinion being divided only as to the 
extent of its operation, — the first med- 
ical authorities are all agreed that its 
use is in every case especially hurtful 
to the young ; because it arrests or re- 
tards growth, and produces functional 
derangement. 



1 1 I HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

Money wasted on drink or tobacco 
may therefore well be saved. Apart 
from the greater injury done to health, 
the money aspect of the question is 

surely worthy of consideration. 

"Without economy/' says Dr. John- 
son, ;; none can be rich, and with it 
few can be poor." lie also adds. 
" Economy is the parent of integrity, 
of liberty, and of case, and the beau- 
teous sister of temperance, of cheerful- 
ness, and health ; and profuscness is a 
cruel and crafty demon, that gradually 
involves her followers in dependence 
and debts ; that is. fetters them with 
• irons that enter into their souls/ ' 

" The most trifling actions," says 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 115 

Benjamin Franklin, " that affect a 
man's credit are to be regarded. The 
sound of your hammer at five in the 
morning, or nine at night, heard by a 
creditor, makes him easy six months 
longer ; but if he sees you at a billiard- 
table, or hears your voice at a tavern, 
when you should be at work, he sends 
for his money the next day, — demands 
it before he can receive it in a lump. 

" Beware of thinking all your own 
that you possess, and of living accord- 
ingly. It is a mistake that many 
people who have credit fall into. To 
prevent this, keep an exact account, 
for some time, both of your expenses 
and your income. If you take the 



1 16 HINTS TO OUB BOY8, 

pains at first to mention particulars, it 
will have this good effect, — you will 
discover how wonderfully small, trifling 
expenses mount up to Large sums, and 
will discern what might have been 
and may for the future be saved with- 
out occasioning any great inconven- 
ience. 

;i In short, the way to wealth, if you 
desire it, is as plain as the way to 
market. It depends chiefly on two 
words, ' industry' and ; frugality ; ' that is, 
waste neither time nor money, but make 
the best use of both. Without indus- 
try and frugality, nothing will do. and 
with them, every thing. 

" Remember that time is mono v. 1 [e 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 117 

that can earn ten shillings a day by 
his labor, and goes abroad, or sits idle 
one-half of that day, though he spend 
but sixpence during his diversion or 
idleness, ought not to reckon that the 
only expense : he has really spent, or 
rather thrown away, five shillings be- 
sides. 

" Remember that six pounds a year 
is but a groat a day. For this little 
sum (which may be daily wasted in 
either time or expense unperceived) a 
man of credit may, on his own security, 
have the constant possession and use of 
a hundred pounds. So much in stock, 
briskly turned by an industrious man, 
produces great advantage. . . . Waste 



1 18 hints TO OUB BOYS. 

neither time nor money, but make the 
besl use of both. . . . He thai gets all 
he can honestly, and saves all he gets 
(necessary expenses excepted), will cer- 
tainly become rich — if that Being who 
governs the world, to whom all should 
look for a blessing on their honest en- 
deavors, doth not in his wise provi- 
dence otherwise determine." 

The depositing of very small Minis. 
frequently added to, and allowed to lie 
at compound interest, accumulates and 
mounts up in shorter time and to a far 
larger sum than many ordinary people 
— to say nothing of the careless or 
spendthrifts — imagine to be possible. 
" Take care of the 'pence, and the 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 119 

pounds will take care of themselves." 
Never despise beginnings, however 
small. Little drops of rain begin 
mighty rivers ; and at the source, if 
on the watershed, even a pebble may 
determine whether the tiny stream is 
to flow north, south, east, or west. 
Drops at once begin to make channels 
for themselves ; and so with habits : 
a little money once saved, or a little 
knowledge acquired, more will natu- 
rally and easily follow. 

Be industrious and frugal ; and, 
whatever your income be, live within 
it. 

" The injury of prodigality," says 
Confucius, " leads to this, that he who 



120 HINTS TO 01 B DO! B. 

will not economize will have to ago- 
nize.' 1 Or, as Dickens puts it. ••An- 
nual Income, £20 ; annual expenditure, 
£19 19$. 6d. : result, happiness. An- 
nual income £20 ; annual expenditure, 
£20 Os. 6d.: result, misery." 

Many are needlessly led into difficul- 
ties through a lavish and spurious hos- 
pitality. Shakspeare says, — 

u Those friends thou Last, and their adop- 
tion tried, 

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of 
steel; 

But do not dull thy palm with entertain- 
ment 

Of each new-hatched, unfledged com- 
rade." 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 121 

The power of a penny is something 
marvellous 5 if people would only real- 
ize it, and think of the vast number of 
things it can do. When saving habits 
are once fairly formed, the foundations 
of fortune are already securely laid. 
Without economy and the squaring of 
expenditure to income, the richest man 
will soon become poor ; and as for 
peace of mind, why, it is not to be 
looked for where people require to 
rack their wits in vain attempts to 
make the two ends meet. 

" The privilege," said Garfield, " of 
being a young man, is a great privi- 
lege ; and the privilege of growing up 
to be an independent man in middle 
life is a greater." 



1 22 iiiN rs TO 01 B B01 8. 

"The Bible/ 1 observes Major M. H. 
Bright, " always inculcates economy, 
not for the sake of hoarding, but for 
the sake of owing no man any thing, 
and for the sake of having something 
with which to relievo the poor and 
sick, while contributing, also, to send 
the gospel throughout the earth/ 1 Be 
wise, and follow the Scripture injunc- 
tion, ; * Lay not up for yourselves treas- 
ures upon earth, where moth and rust 
doth corrupt, and where thieves break 
through and steal, but lay up for your- 
selves treasures in heaven, where 4 
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, 
and where thieves do not break 
through and steal ; for where your 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 123 

treasure is, there will your heart be 
also." 

And, should earthly riches be ac- 
quired, let it ever be remembered that 
those possessing them are only stew- 
ards of God's mercies, and that talents, 
be they few or many, are not given, 
but only lent, and committed to our 
care, to be used for the Master in 
heaven. 

HOW MUCH OW'ST THOU? 

(Lukexvi. 1-12.) 

" How much ow'st thou ? " 

Is said to each by the great Lord of earth 

and heaven ; 
For all of good we have is only lent, not 
given. 



1 2 I HINTS TO OUR BOYS« 

M I low much ow'st thou ? M 
Tli<* children of this world are prudent in 

their day, 
And gather wealth, from which they 

must pass away. 



"How much ow'st thou?" 
Shouldst thou, with hopes beyond the 

grave, a child of light, 
Less eager strive than they whose only 

goal is night? 



"How much ow'st thou?" 
Be here a good and faithful steward, just 

and wise, 
So shalt thou lay up lasting treasure in 

the skies. 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 125 

"How much ow'st thou?" 
Though poor thy earthly lot, yet seek 

thou, in His sight, 
The blessing of the "inasmuch," or wid- 
ow's mite. 



"How much ow'st thou?" 
The Master's time is not thine own to 

waste or spend. 
Work while 'tis called to-day : the longest 

day must end. 



"How much ow'st thou?'' 
The influence He gives thee, be it great 

or small, 
In thy good Master's service, seek to use 

it all. 



L26 hints TO OUR BOYS. 

" How m ucli ow'sl thou ? M 

Each talent — genius, intellect, or gift — 

of thine, 
If consecrated, star-like, will the brighter 

shine. 



"How much ow'st thou?" 
O'er all thou hast and art, a faithful stew- 
ard be, 
That, when the Lord appears, "Well 
done " may welcome thee. 



" How much ow'st thou ? n 
Some trench on sleep and health to gain 

an earthly goal : 
As earnest be to lay up treasure for thy 

soul. 



ECONOMICAL HABITS. 127 

"How much ow'st thou?" 
So live, that, when clay dwellings fall, the 

soul may rise, 
And soar to everlasting mansions in the 

skies. 

"How much ow'st thou?" 
The Lord from heaven, who spake this 

parable, is He 
Who " shall appear " as Judge, who gave 

his life for thee. 



VI. 

JHanturg. 



MANNERS. 

■ — » ■ ■> — 

T)E courteous, frank, obliging, always 
" in honor preferring one another." 
Nothing is lost, but almost every 
thing is to be gained, by the observ- 
ance of what Milton finely character- 
izes as — 

" Those graceful acts, 

Those thousand decencies, that daily flow " 

from our " words and actions." 

Perfect sympathy is the key to cour- 
tesy. Be courteous to all. Do good 
to all men. Speak evil of no one. 

131 



L32 HINTS TO 01 B DO! 8, 

Hear before judging. Hold an angry 
tongue. Think before speaking. 15< i 
kind to the distressed Ask pardon for 

all wrongs. Be patient toward every- 
body. Disbelieve most ill reports. 
Ever show marked respect to those 

who are older, and who may therefore 
be Supposed to know more than your- 
selves. It is a step gained, to know 
your ignorance. Many youths who 
fanev themselves to be regular bricks 
are only half-baked clay. Be willing 
to learn. Avoid rash assertions re- 
garding things on which your infor- 
mation is defective or partial ; for. as 
Shakspeare says, " Modest doubt is 
the beacon of the wise." Humility is 



MANNERS. 133 

inseparable from all true progress. 
" As you grow in your art," said Gounod 
to a young poet, ;i you will judge the 
great masters of the past as I now 
judge the great musicians of former 
times. At your age I used to say ' I ;' 
at twenty-five I said ' I and Mozart ; ' 
at forty, ; Mozart and I.' Now I say 
'Mozart.'" 

When you have occasion to differ 
from any one, whether he be your su- 
perior, inferior, or equal, do not flatly 
contradict him ; but, while clearly and 
modestly stating your own opinion, al- 
ways be careful to maintain respect and 
courtesy in your communications with 
others, making no claim to infallibility. 



134 BINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

In this way you will not only avoid 
making many erroneous statements, 
but, being open to correction, you will 
thereby gain much accurate information 
and serviceable knowledge. 

Never interrupt others who are 
speaking, even when tempted to try to 
get in a word edgeways. Avoid loud 
talking, and all rude awkward ges- 
tures. 

Habit becomes almost a second na- 
ture : therefore too great importance 
cannot be attached to the formation of 
habits. It is more difficult to eradicate 
the bad than to form the good. Ovid 
says,— 



MANNERS. 135 

" 111 habits gather by unseen degrees ; 
As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas ; " 

and Shakspeare, " How use doth breed 
a habit in a man ! " while elsewhere he 
observes, — 

" A little fire is quickly trodden out, 
Which, being suffered, rivers cannot 
quench." 

Countless little things that boys do 
or don't do, very plainly tell what their 
upbringing has been. 

" Not mighty deeds make up the sum 
Of happiness below, 
But little acts of kindliness, 
Which any child may show." 



lo(i HINTS in o( R DO! B. 

Always be kind and considerate to 
the aged, the infirm, and the helpless, 
whether young or old; also befriend, 

and. whenever you can. protect, the 

lower animals from cruelty of any kind. 
They are God's creatures : lie hears 
their cry ; and " not a sparrow can fall 
to the ground " without our Father. It 
is also written. "Not one of them is 
forgotten before God." " A righteous 
man regardeth the life of his beast, but 
the tender mercies of the wicked are 
cruel." 

It is always pleasing to see kindli- 
ness and other marks of good-breeding ; 
while traits of rudeness, ignorance, and 
vulgarity, grate harshly on those who 



MANNERS. 137 

love refinement, and are painful to all. 
Therefore avoid any approach to rough 
horse-play. If you respect yourself, 
you will be respectful to others. Cow- 
per writes, — 

44 The man that hails you Tom or Jack, 
And proves, by thumping on joui back, 

His sense of your great merit, 
Is such a friend, that one had need 
Be very much his friend indeed, 
To pardon or to bear it." 

" Know thou," said St. Francis of 
Assisi, " that courtesy is one of God's 
own properties, who sendeth his rain 
and his sunshine upon the just and the 
unjust out of his great courtesy. And 



lo s HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

verily, courtesy Lb die sister of charity, 
who banishes hatred, and cherishes 
ove. 

Many of the little things which mark 
Mich differences in behavior are ap- 
parently so very trivial that even to 
name them in print seems giving them 
an undue importance ; and yet. in real- 
ity, it is scarcely possible to do so : 
for. next to integrity, ability, and in- 
dustry, a young man's success in life 
very largely depends upon pleasing 
manners and a good address. In fact, 
a- Sydney Smith observed, " Manners 
are the shadows of virtues." And Dean 
Swift shrewdlv said, " A man is known 
by his company, and his company by 
his manners." 



MANNERS. 139 

We therefore venture to note a few 
things which boys should avoid, if they 
wish not only to progress, but to get 
smoothly and pleasantly along in the 
world. 

Cleanliness is said to be next to god- 
liness, and, in point of fact, it gener- 
ally accompanies it; whereas ignorance, 
superstition, and dirt go together : 
therefore never come to table with 
dirty hands or uncombed hair. Keep 
your nails scrupulously clean, and on 
no account let them exhibit a black- 
edged border, as if they were in mourn- 
ing for departed soap. 

Do not plant your elbow on the 
tablecloth, and sit like a pyramid over 



1 10 hints TO OUB BOYS, 

your plate. hi eating food, do not 
make the knife do duty for the fork : 
on no account raise it to your lips ; 
always hold it by the handle; and 
when at breakfast, lunch, or tea. never 
use it for helping yourself to butter — 
the butter-knife is there for that pur- 
pose. 

Do not aim at securing the tid-bits 
and best morsels for yourself. Keep 
your eyes about you, and your wits 
alive, so as quietly and gracefully to 
anticipate the wants of others seated at 
the same table. Never allow anything, 
such as a fish-hone, a plum-stone, or 
even a bit of too hot potato, to drop 
from your mouth on to your plate, but, 



MANNERS. 141 

if need be, remove it with spoon or 
fork, and quietly lay it down. Don't 
throw things on the floor, or litter it 
with crumbs. Learn to eat noiselessly, 
and without opening your mouth wide, 
like a frog, at every bite you masticate. 
Keep your fingers out of your mouth, 
and don't pick your teeth at table : 
pick and cleanse them thoroughly 
after every meal, in the lavatory or 
bedroom. "When stirring tea, don't 
keep grinding the spoon on the bottom 
of the cup, or use it for lifting, ladling, 
and pouring back the liquid. Lift your 
cup by the handle, and don't pour out 
tea or coffee into the saucer to cool it, 
and risk staining the tablecloth or 



1 L2 hints TO 01 a BOYS. 

your clothes; such habits, besides be- 
ing very unseemly, go far to spoil the 
beverage itself, by allowing its delicate 
aroma to escape ; for no more effectual 
plan than such stirring or pouring out 
could be devised for rendering tea in- 
sipid. 

When you enter a room, don't appro- 
priate the best seat. Never put on or 
take off your boots in a public sitting- 
room, nor be there in your stocking- 
soles. Have one fixed place for your 
slippers, so that you yourself can find 
them when wanted. On putting them 
off. don't kick them about, and leave 
them lying anywhere, but always return 
them to their own place. If you are 



MANNERS. 143 

practising music, always close the piano 
or harmonium after using it, in order 
to keep out the dust 

When God's word has been read at 
prayers, do not suddenly shut the book, 
slamming its sacred pages together 
with a loud noise, and then irreverently 
pitch it down on the table, as if it were 
something you were glad to be quit of 
and done with. Outward decorum is 
seemly ; but it ought to proceed from 
inward reverence, and to be the sincere 
outcome of the heart. 

Some one says that in life it is a 
great mistake " to worry ourselves and 
others with what cannot be remedied, 
not to alleviate all that needs allevia- 



1 I ( HINTS TO OIK BOYS. 

tion as far as lies in our power, not to 

make allowances for the infirmities of 
others, to consider every thing impos- 
sible that we cannot perform, to be- 
lieve only what our finite minds can 
grasp, to expect to be able to under- 
stand every thing. The greatest of 
mistakes is to live only for time, when 
any moment may launch us into eter- 
nity." 

Be pure in thought, word, and deed. 
" It is a good thing to be ; strong and 
free ' physically : it is still better to be 
so morally. . . . Speak truly, live tru- 
ly, act truly. Be strong to resist what- 
ever is of evil. . . . Be able to say 
• No,' to mean it. and to stick to it. 



MANNERS. 145 

though the wary tempter have a tongue 
as smooth as oil, and as musical as a 
siren's note. Avoid the very first step 
in evil. Don't break the fence with 
the idea that you can soon make up the 
breach. Don't go a little way in the 
wrong direction, imagining that you 
can easily make up what is lost." 

Wasps attack the finest fruit : don't 
be put down by ridicule. 

" The prices of martyrs' ashes," says 
Fuller, " rise and fall in Smithfield 
market. However, their real worth 
floats not with people's fancies, no 
more than a rock in the sea rises and 
falls with the tide. St. Paul is still St. 
Paul, though the Lycaonians now 



146 HINTS TO OUB BOYS« 

would sacrifice to him. and presently 

after would sacrifice him.* 1 

Remember the words, " He that sow- 

eth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap 
corruption; hut he that soweth to the 
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- 
lasting." 

Xot only avoid using oaths, or any 
approach to an oath, hut give no quar- 
ter to improper words and slang 
phrases. These are not only wrong in 
themselves, but are vulgar in the ex- 
treme, whether uttered by high or low. 

"While it is praiseworthy to be scru- 
pulously clean and tidy, shun overdress, 
extreme fashions, and all fopperies ; 
such as effeminately parting yum* hair 



MANNERS. 147 

in the middle so as to show " a little 
white lane down the front of your 
head," or the wearing of conspicuous 
jewelry, either sham or real. In all 
people, but more especially amongst 
the young, such tendencies arise from 
a love of display, which always savors 
of vulgarity. Be quiet and unobtru- 
sive in mind, manner, and dress ; and 
for your adornment seek rather " the 
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." 
Be sincerely what you seem, and 
never be ashamed to say "I do not 
know " when you are ignorant of any 
thing; or to say, either in regard to 
time or money, " I cannot afford it," 
when you know that you can't. 



1 18 BINTS TO 01 B BOYS. 

Consider well before you Bay " Yes,* 1 
and be able, on right occasions, decid- 
edly and firmly to say " No/ 1 

In all that you do be thorough^ and 
ever strive bravely and manfully to do 
your duty, both to God and man; for, 
as Wordsworth finely puts it. — 

"The primal duties shine aloft like stars; 
The charities that soothe and heal and 

bless 
Are scattered at the feet of man like 

flowers.'' 



VII. 

(Itmclustcm, 



CONCLUSION. 



Life is real, life is earnest; 

And the grave is not its goal: 
Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 

Was not spoken of the soul. 

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 
Is our destined end or way; 

But to act that each to-morrow 
Finds us farther than to-day. 

Let us, then, be up and doing, 

With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing, 

Learn to labor and to wait. 

Longfellow. 

151 



152 hints TO OUR BOY8, 

A I ANY of these matters to which we 
have alluded, perhaps, may to some 
of you seem very trivial, and scarcely 
worth Baying so much about ; but we 
can assure you that the neglect of them 
may. in all likelihood, prove a very se- 
rious bar to your advancement in life. 

The following little summary, incul- 
cating on boys high thought, amiable 
words, courtliness, "love of truth, and 
all that makes a man,'' may be helpful 
to you : — 

" Hold on to vour tongue when vou 
are ready to swear, lie. or speak harshly. 
Hold on to your hand when you are 
about to punch, scratch, steal, or do an 
improper act. Hold on to your foot 



CONCLUSION. 153 

when you are on the point of kicking, 
running off from study, or pursuing the 
path of error, shame, or crime. Hold 
on to your temper when you are angry, 
excited, or imposed upon, or others are 
angry with you. Hold on to your 
heart when evil associates seek your 
company, and invite you to join in their 
mirth, games, and revelry. Hold on 
to your good name at all times ; for it 
is of more value than gold, high places, 
or fashionable attire. Hold on to the 
truth ; for it will serve you well, and do 
you good throughout eternity. Hold 
on to virtue : it is above all price to you 
at all times and places. Hold on to 
your good character ; for it is, and ever 
will be, your best wealth." 



15 I HlNTs TO on; BOY8. 

Boys, and even " children of a larger 
growth,* arc always looking forward 
and busily occupying themselves with — 

"Something evermore about to be." 

The boy eagerly anticipates coming 
manhood; but old age seems so very 
far away, scarcely within measurable 
distance, that it docs not immediately 
concern him. if at all. But youth is 
the time to lay the foundations for 
happy manhood and a green old age ; 
and. if the many good advices given 
arc followed, the following experience, 
given by the late Dr. Guthrie, will also 
be yours : — 

" They say I '^n growing old because 



CONCLUSION. 155 

my hair is silvered, and there are 
crow's-feet on my forehead, and my 
step is not so firm and elastic as of 
yore ; but they . are mistaken. That 
is not I, The brow is wrinkled, but 
the brow is not I. This is the house 
in which. I live. But I am young, 
younger than ever I was before." 

This way of putting it is true in the 
highest sense : for — 

" We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, 

not breaths ; 
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
We should count time by heart-throbs. 

He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts 

the best." 



L56 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 

It has been remarked, that ''gentil- 
ity is neither in birth, wealth, manner, 
nor fashion, but in mind." A high 
sense of honor, a determination never 
to take a mean advantage of another, 
an adherence to truth, delicacy and 
politeness towards those with whom we 
have dealings, are the essential charao- 
teristics of a gentleman. 

We would call attention to an admi- 
rable passage in a letter written by Dr. 
Guthrie to one of his sous in W> s . 
The worthy doctor mingled in society 
of all kinds, from the highest court 
circles down to the humblest crofters, 
and was familiar with the shady side 
of life in the lowest wynds a closes, and 



CONCLUSION. 157 

back slums of our great cities. Pos- 
sessing sharp insight into character, 
and a shrewd knowledge of the world, 
in his own personal manner he exem- 
plified all that was most graceful and 
becoming in a Christian and a gentle- 
man. His words, therefore, carry 
weight, and are entitled to respectful 
consideration. 

" Amenity of manners," says he, "is 
one of the most important things that 
you can cultivate. I have been pro- 
pounding it for years, as the result of a 
long and large observation on mankind, 
that a man's success in life, in almost 
every profession, depends more on his 
agreeable, pleasant, polite, kind, and 



L58 iiin i - ro oi b boys. 

complaisant manners than on anything 
else. I don't wan! you to profess any 
thing that is not true ; but jrou cannot 
be too studious of saying and doing 
things that will please others, and say- 
ing and doing nothing unnecessarily, 
which will in the slightest degree hurt 
them, or grate on their self-compla- 
cency. When you have to differ from 
them, do it with all possible reluctance 
and modesty ; and. when duty requires 
you to refuse any request, do it with 
the utmost politeness and tenderness." 
It is said that Baron Rothschild had 
the following alphabetical list of max- 
ims framed on his bank walls : — 



CONCLUSION. 159 

Attend carefully to details of your busi- 
ness. 

Be prompt in all things. 

Consider well, then decide positively. 

Dare to do right, fear to do wrong. 

Endure trials patiently. 

Fight life's battle bravely, manfully. 

Go not into the society of the vicious. 

Hold integrity sacred. 

Injure not another's reputation nor busi- 
ness. 

Join hands only with the virtuous. 

Keep your mind from evil thoughts. 

Lie not for any consideration. 

Make few acquaintances. 

Never try to appear what you are not. 

Observe good manners. 

Pay your debts promptly. 

Question not the veracity of a friend. 



l(i() BINTS TO OUH BOY8. 

Reaped the counsel of your parents. 
Sacrifice money rather than principle. 
Touch not, taste not, handle not, intox* 

eating drinks. 
Use your leisure time for improvement. 
Venture not upon the threshold of wrong. 

Watch carefully over your passions. 

'Xtend to every one a kindly salutation. 

Yield not to discouragement. 
Zealously labor for the right. 
And success is certain. 

Wealth, when acquired and rightly 
used, is a great power for good. It can 
be used not only for one's own comfort 
and that of one's family, but also to 
promote the welfare of others. It 
secures the blessedness of giving, the 



CONCLUSION. 151 

sweet indulgence of alleviating human 
suffering. " It furnishes the means of 
encouraging and promoting art, sci- 
ence, literature, morality, and religion. 
It secures rest from turmoil and anxi- 
ety at the close of life, and leisure to 
look forward to eternity." 

" God, for his service, needeth not proud 

work of human skill : 
They please him best who labor most to 

do in peace his will. 
So let us strive to live, and to our spirits 

will be given ■ 
Such wings as, when the Saviour calls, 

shall bear us up to heaven." x 

1 Wordsworth, 



162 HINTS TO 01 B wn s. 

St. Clement truly and shrewdly says, 
"Wealth is like a viper, which is harm- 
less if a man know- how to take hold 

of it. but, if he doe- not. it will twine 
round his hand and bite him." 

Whether we have little or much, if 
God add his blessing thereto, with a 
contented spirit, we shall have enough ; 
for " the path of the just is as the 
shining light, that shineth more and 
more unto the perfect day." Thomas 
Brookes, the old Puritan divine, says, 
;; If you only have candle-light, bless 
God for it, and he will give you star- 
light ; when you have got starlight. 
praise God for it. and he will give you 
moonlight; when vou have got moon- 



CONCLUSION. 163 

light, rejoice in it, and he will give you 
sunlight ; and, when you have got sun- 
light, praise him still more, and he will 
make the light of your sun as the light 
of seven days, for the Lord himself 
shall be the light of your spirit." 

Then, as James Montgomery writes, 

" Onward, onward, may we press, 

Through the path of duty : 
Virtue is true happiness ; 

Excellence, true beauty. 
Minds are of celestial birth : 
Make we, then, a heaven of earth. 

" Closer, closer, let us knit 
Hearts and hands together, 
Where our fireside comforts sit 
In the wildest weather. 



104 HINTS TO OUB BOYS. 

Oh ! they wander wide who roam 
For the joys of life from home." 

"Now," says Francis Osborne, "if it 

be your fortune to leave your native 
country, take these directions from a 
father, wearied (and therefore possibly 
made wiser) by experience. 

" Let not the irreligion of any place 
breed in you a neglect of divine duties. 
remembering that God heard the 
prayers of Daniel in Babylon with 
the same attention he gave to David 
in Sion." 

The accomplished Sir Walter Ival- 
eigli. who himself was the very pink of 
courtesv and chivalrv. in his admirable 



CONCLUSION. 165 

" Instructions to his Son 5 " recommends 
him to choose only virtuous persons for 
his friends ; warns him against flatter- 
ers ; recommends him to avoid private 
quarrels ; instructs him how to preserve 
his estate by looking well after it, by 
never spending any thing before he has 
it, — for borrowing, he says, is " the can- 
ker and death of prosperity," — and by 
avoiding suretyship ; counsels him re- 
garding the choice of servants; warns 
him against gay, costly garments — for, 
says he, " these will soon wear out of 
fashion, but money in thy purse will 
ever be in fashion, and no man is es- 
teemed for gay garments but by fools 
and women ; tells him that riches are 



1 66 HINTS TO 01 B BOYS. 

never to be sought by evil means; 
warningly points ou1 the many evils, 
inconveniences, beastliness, and ruin to 
body, mind, and estate, that follow from 
drinking-habite. Sir Walter Raleigh 
then winds up his valuable treatise 
with the following paragraphs, which, 
as a fitting conclusion to this paper, on 
parting, we earnestly commend to our 
boy-. 

"Let God," says he, "be thy pro- 
tector and director in all thy actions. 

•• Now, for the world. I know it too 
well to persuade thee to dive into the 
politics thereof: rather stand upon 
thine own guard against all that tempt 
thee thereunto, or may practise upon 



CONCLUSION. 167 

thee in thy conscience, thy reputation, 
or thy purse ; resolve that no man is 
wise or safe but he that is honest. 

" Serve God : let him be the author 
of all thy actions ; commend all thy 
endeavors to him, that must either 
wither or prosper them ; please him 
with prayer, lest, if he frown, he con- 
found all thy fortunes and labors like 
the drops of rain on the sandy ground ; 
let my experienced advice and fatherly 
instruction sink deep into thy heart. 
So God direct thee in all his ways, and 
fill thy heart with his grace." 



168 HINTS TO OUR BOYS. 



SWEET SOME. 

Returning to die o'er the north sea-foam, 

From a genial clime or a torrid zone, 
The Icelander sings of his jokul-home 

As the fairest land that the sun >hineson. 
And so with the child of the tropic sun, 
Or the mountain-dweller, the Swiss, or 
Scot, 
The land of his birth is to every one 

Still the fairest clime and the dearest 
spot 
On the earth, and ne'er forgot. 

For there the fireside of our childhood's 

home, 
With its flickering glamor and crimson 

glow 



CONCLUSION. 169 

Shed o'er life's waves while we weary 
roam, 
Keeps a lane of light to the long ago, — 
To father and mother's unselfish care, 
To our sisters dear, and our brothers 
too; 
Fond memory, magnet -like, trembles 
there ; 
To the one loved point it is ever true 
When the heart would joy renew. 

One after another our dear ones leave, 
And by earthly homes they are no more 
known : 
By this would our Father have men per- 
ceive 
That the heaven's more home-like be- 
cause they've gone 



1 70 HINTS TO 01 B BOYS. 

T<» "mansions prepared," from of old, for 

all 

The redeemed who answer with joy his 
"Come I " 
For his voice is divinely musical, 

And the light of his eyes worth all the 

gloom 
Of the path that leads us HOME. 



/it I 

6T&H 



